My Favorite Recipes by Linda Marler

Meet Ann Emerson, Colfax, and Phyllis Stueckle, LaCrosse

‘Tis the season to make lefse, according to many people of Norwegian heritage, and Ann Emerson and Phyllis Stueckle grew up making lefse and many other traditional Norwegian foods.

They sat down recently with their brother’s wife, Judy Aune, to share memories and recipes, bringing out heritage cookbooks and family favorites.

The Aune family arrived in the United States in 1902, when Gunnar Aune was a babe in arms. The family tried Minnesota, South Dakota and North Dakota, but North Dakota was so snowy and cold for these people from Norway that they left as soon as the spring thaw allowed travel. Friends who had settled near LaCrosse encouraged them to come to Whitman County, and soon quite a few Norwegians settled here.

A little enclave of farmers from Norway established a Lutheran Church out in the country and named it for their hometown, Selbu. For decades, the church has served as both a house of worship and a place to preserve family traditions. For forty-nine years, the Selbu Smorgasbord was a social event, tasting experience and community gathering. Traditional dishes were shared and passed on. Friends and neighbors had the opportunity to try out new foods.

The extended Aune family celebrates Christmas Eve at Selbu Lutheran Church, enjoying a variety of traditional Norwegian foods as well as other goodies. Kids and grandkids come home to enjoy the fun and keep up family ties.

Gunnar Aune had five or six siblings. He married Beatrice Angela, who was born in the US of Norwegian heritage, and they had a large family, first three girls—Corinne, Ann, Phyllis—and then five boys—Bud, Gene, John, Norm, and Dwight. They grew up near Hay, and Corinne graduated from Hay High School. Ann transferred to LaCrosse High School when Hay High School closed, and she and her younger siblings all graduated from LaCrosse.

Since both Gunnar and Betty grew up in America, little Norwegian was spoken at home. They primarily spoke Norwegian when they wanted to discuss something without the kids knowing what they were talking about.

Gunnar was able to attend college in Spokane, and all of their children attended college as well. Ann began nursing school, but discovered that wasn’t her calling, and she graduated in social work. Corinne was a teacher. Bud, Gene, and John all farmed, while Norm and Dwight lived on the coast in other careers. Seven of the eight siblings survive; Dwight died several years ago.

Beatrice, called Aunt Betty by her nieces and nephews, taught her girls to cook, but Phyllis missed some instruction as she admits to being the outdoor girl. She preferred working outside and milked one of the cows daily. When her parents were gone, she was called on to cook. She recalled that when her youngest brother, Dwight, was born, her mother was forty-four years old and didn’t feel well. Corinne was married already, Ann was in nurses’ training, and Phyllis had just started college. At the end of her first semester of college, Phyllis was the designated cook before and after Dwight was born.

When her mother went into labor, Dr. Slind came to the house and told Phyllis to boil lots of water. However, Betty was moved to the hospital and gave birth there. When her father came home, she prepared her first dinner for dad, brothers, and hired man—salmon loaf. Fortunately, she said, they liked it. Phyllis calls it “cooking under pressure.”

Gunnar didn’t cook, but several years later, he had to learn when Betty had a recurrence of rheumatic fever and Phyllis wasn’t available.

When Bud Aune was engaged to Judy Leinweber, he took her to his parents’ home every Sunday evening. She was impressed that there were always two fresh cakes just ready to serve.

Norwegians seem to love strong coffee and dishes that are rich, creamy and mildly spiced. Phyllis, Ann, and Judy shared the following main dish items.

Recipes:

Brom (brown cheese)

2 quarts buttermilk

4 Tablespoons flour

1/2 cup brown sugar.

Cook buttermilk until it begins to curdle; add flour slowly to thicken, stirring continuously. Add sugar and cook until thick and brown. Stir frequently. This is a brown cheese like Primost. It is delicious served on brown bread.

Potet Kage (potato cakes)

6 potatoes

2 teaspoons salt

Flour

Boil potatoes until done; then mash finely and let cool. Add salt and enough flour to make a stiff dough; mix well. Form mixture into cakes the size of a large pancake and about 1/4 inch thick.

Fry on a pancake griddle or in a fry pan. Turn cakes so that they will cook evenly on both sides until well done. Serve with butter and syrup or butter only. May be eaten hot or cold.

Flat Brod (flat bread)

4 cups white flour

2 cups whole wheat flour

1/2 cup butter or margarine, melted

1 cup water

1/2 teaspoon salt

1 cup buttermilk, warm

1/2 cup sugar

1 teaspoon baking soda

2 teaspoons baking soda

Mix dry ingredients together. Heat buttermilk and water; add butter and stir until melted. Add mixed dry ingredients and stir to mix well. This is a stiff dough. Roll out thin with a lefse rolling pin and bake on a lefse grill on the highest setting. Turn when brown specks or spots appear. Stack in a cardboard box to cool and store. Eat plain, breaking into pieces as crackers.

Lutefisk

Slice lutefisk into serving size pieces. Fill a stainless steel (not aluminum) or other pot with water and bring to a boil. Add 3 level Tablespoons of salt to each 4 cups of water and return to boil. Add fish and return to boil. Then remove pot from heat and let fish steep 5 to 10 minutes. Serve hot on piping hot plates with melted butter.

Dessert recipes to follow next week.